Carbuncle Bungle/Transcript - Luca
'Part 1' ---- Cover: Image of a pink carbuncle with gold frame and blue background. ---- Spin-Off Carbuncle Bungle Chapter - 1 Scene: Blank black background. ---- These stories are spin-offs to the Main Story. The stories start from partway through the Main Story. Enjoy the special stories never before seen! ---- Scene: East Forest at night time. ---- Mysterious Beauty: "I'm sure this little one will be useful to you. I'll give him to you." Liz Hart: "What...?" Saying that, the woman gently placed the Carbuncle on my shoulder. Liz Hart: "U-Um...! What am I suppose to do with him..." Carbuncle: "Squee!" Mysterious Beauty: "He seems to have taken a liking to you too, so please get along with him." The woman walked away with a smile on her face. Liz Hart: "H-Hey, wait!" I frantically tried to chase the woman who disappeared into the darkness. However... she was already gone. Liz Hart: "No way...! She disappeared!?" (Who was that person...?) (Don't tell me she really was a ghost!) Liz Hart: "...It can't be." Carbuncle: "Squeeeeeee!" Liz Hart: "Besides..." Carbuncle: "Squee weee!" The pink fluff-ball was sitting on my shoulder-- Liz Hart: "What do I do with this...? (I guess I can only bring it back with me for now...) As if sensing my thoughts, it rubbed against my cheek. (Wait-- On second thought, this thing's really suspicious!) When I pulled it off my shoulders and held it up to get a better look, it stared at me with its adorable little eyes. Carbuncle: "Squee?" (...Aww, it's so cute...) (But, I have no idea who that woman is...) (And I mean, what if this little critter is...) The scene from class a few days ago floated into my mind. Back then, Luca had turned himself into a pillow. (...something could be just taking this Carbuncle's form... yeah!) 'Part 2' I placed the Carbuncle on the ground and readied my wand. Carbuncle: "Squee?" Carbuncle gazed curiously at the tip of my wand. (I...I feel a little bad for it, but I have to find out what it really is...) (Uh...All right, now I'm sure I saw the right spell for this situation back in my textbook...) ---- Effect: Pink circles of light. ---- Liz Hart: "O Carbuncle, show me your true form! Carbuncle Expositionis!" (That should be it!) ---- Effect: Flashes of light. ---- A few strands of light flew out of my wand tip and circled around the Carbuncle and I at high speed. (...Huh? This... could be bad.) ---- Scene: Blank white background. ---- As I thought that, the light suddenly gathered into a sphere, then burst. ---- Scene: Blank black background. ---- Unable to take the brightness, I closed my eyes. A high buzzing sound met my ears. I felt like my body was being jerked back and forth and I tried to focus on the sensation in my feet. ---- Scene: back to the forest. ---- And then, coming back to my senses, I opened my eyes to see the East Forest, as if nothing had happened. (Huh? Where's the Carbuncle?) No matter where I looked, I couldn't find it. And it wasn't just that -- something felt strange, really strange. (Huh? Were the trees in the East Forest always this big?) As I looked around the area, trying to figure out what had happened, I noticed something dart across the corner of my eye. (Huh?) I followed it with my eyes and realized it was similar to something I was looking at the moment before. (The Carbuncle's... tail?) The tail was attached to my flank, and looking down, I saw that said flank was furry, and my belly was a bit plump. My hands -- paws -- were padded. Liz Hart: "..." "...S-SQUEE!? (What's going on?!)" "S-Squee? Squee!? (Why? Seriously, what's going on here?!)" Looking at my belly and back, poking around my body, I could conclude only one thing. Liz Hart: "...Squee squee. (...I turned into a Carbuncle.)" (No way...did I mess up the spell? I mean, does this even happen to mages?) (Oh, what am I going to do?! How can I get tot he dorm from h-- Wait, even if I get back to the dorm, I can't open the door!) (Wait wait wait, that's not what I should be thinking about -- how am I going to turn human again?!) (Is there anyone...anyone who can help me?) ---- Magic Challenge: x1 Magic Key. ---- 'Part 3' I couldn't see any sign of the woman from a while ago. And anyway, no one would come to the entrance to the East Forest at night in the first place. (First, let me get to somewhere with people. The closest would be the boys' dorm, right?) (!?) Suddenly, I heard something cut trough the forest. And judging from the sound it made, it was big. (Wh-What is it? An animal? Like a stray dog or something...? Maybe a raccoon dog, or a fox?) Whatever came out, the only thing I was now was prey... (I've got to run!) But then, as I began to dash towards the boys' dorm, something suddenly stood in my way. ---- Scene: blank black background. ---- (Eep!) Probably because my body was so soft, I toppled onto my back from the recoil of the impact. (What did I run into?) ???: "What's this...? Pretty strangely colored Carbuncle we've got here." (A person's voice!) Deftly manipulating my short legs to get up, I raised my face and saw... ---- Scene: back to the forest. ---- Luca: "Haven't I... Oh, that's right, this little guy was on Liz's head before." Liz Hart: "Squee! (Luca!)" From the sheer joy of finding someone who could help me, I clung to Luca's leg. Luca: "A little friendly today, huh? But seriously, not long ago this thing really hated me." I was pulled off of his leg by the neck. And then Luca held me in front of his face. Liz Hart: "Squee! Squee! Squee! (Luca! It's me! Liz!)" Luca: "A Carbuncle, huh...? I see them around here a lot, but this little guy feels a tad unnatural for the ecosystem around here." Liz Hart: "Squee squee! (I messed up a spell and turned into a Carbuncle!)" Luca: "I mean, aren't these guys more suited for the North Forest...? But maybe there's some sort of reason..." Liz Hart: "Squee! (Luca!)" Luca: "...If that's the case, I want to try to confirm it." Luca plopped me on his shoulder and started to head towards the East Forest's exit. (Oh no... I'm not getting through to him at all.) (How can I let him know that I'm Liz...?) I was taken by Luca to the boys' dorm. 'Part 4' ---- Scene: Hall with doors. Inside the boys' dormitory. ---- (...Wow. This place is a lot cleaner than I thought it would be. That's a bit of a surprise.) This was somewhere I'd never get the chance to enter as a human, so I couldn't help looking all around. (And having come to the boys' dorm means, of course, I'm going to Luca's room, aren't I...?) (I wonder what kind of room it is?) Thinking of the way Luca normally was, I couldn't imagine his room at all. (Maybe it's overrun with garbage? Or maybe, defeating all expectations, it's full of books...?) Luca's unhesitating stride came to a full stop in front of a door. (Is this... Luca's room?) Without taking out a key, he put his hand to the doorknob. (I wonder if he always keeps it unlocked? Heck, I don't know whether to call that irresponsible, or just Luca-like...) The door opened, and the dark room within was slightly illuminated by the light of the hallway. ---- Effect: yellow balls of light. ---- Luca: "Luminationne." ---- Scene: A room with a single bed, curtains and a picture at the wall. ---- (...Huh.) Luca's room was illuminated by magic. And if I had to say the impression I'd gotten... (...There's nothing here.) ???: "Luca!" ---- Scene: blank black background. ---- At the same time I heard that voice, I found myself grabbed and stuffed into Luca's pocket. (Gah! What's going on?!) The pocket was pitch black, but it was warm, and I could hear Luca's heart beating. (Well, I'm close enough to stick my ear to his chest, so of course I can hear his heart beating...) (...but still, it's kinda embarrassing, and mine is beating fast, too...) Luca: "Hmm? Elias, what're you up to at this hour?" (Elias?!) ---- Scene: back to the hall. ---- Careful not to be seen, I pocked my head out of the folds of Luca's clothes and watched the scene unfold. Elias: "I came here to warn you about walking around so late, but...what in the world did you just hide?" (D-Did he find me out?! ...Well, I guess even if he did, it doesn't matter much...) (I shouldn't have been all googly-eyed at being able to enter the boys' dorm!) Luca: "Hmm? Whatever are you talking about?" Luca played the fool, doing the complete opposite of what I expected. 'Part 5' Elias: "You just hid something in your chest pocket, didn't you?" Luca: "Well, yeah, you're right, I hid something. But asking what I hid... well, that's just not classy, you know?" Elias: "What?" Luca: "I mean, I know you're the squariest of squares, Elias, but you're still a guy, right? That means you've gotta have a book or two, if you know what I mean." "And don't you exchange 'em with Yukiya? Maybe even make rules about said exchanges?" Elias: "Just what are you going on about? You're not going to try weasel your way out of this by saying you hid a textbook, are you? Luca: "Who hides textbooks? Come on. What I hid was something way more important -- to men, anyway." (I'm really important? ... Well, probably not -- that was probably just a lie he told to cover me up.) Luca: "And I mean, we're living in a dorm, so it's not like we can just do it whenever...catch my drift?" Elias: "...?" "..." "..." "Wh-What are talking about?! I don't have anything like that!" Luca: "...Really?" Elias: "Obviously! I'm the dorm leader! I don't bring things into my room that are against dorm policy!" Luca: "Oh, all right, in that case, I can't bring it into my room either then." Elias: "Luca! Where are you going?! Leaving the dorm at night is against the rules!" ---- Scene: Outside the boys' dorm. ---- I could hear Elias calling at Luca to stop from inside the dorm. (I wonder if Elias is always yelling warnings at Luca like this...? ...Looks pretty rough.) Luca: "Tch, some people just can't mind their own business." Luca's face, however, didn't look the least bit bothered. No, he actually looked like he was smiling. Luca wandering aimlessly through the moonlit school. As I traveled with him, I remembered the room I'd only seen for a moment. ---- Scene: Luca's room. ---- (Luca's room...all it had was the school-provided furniture in it...) (It's not that it's just devoid of personal items...no, it feels like the room's completely unlived in.) (But, why?) 'It's not like I know, either.' If I asked, I had a feeling that's what he'd answer with. ---- Scene: the academy courtyard. ---- Luca sat on a stool in the courtyard and pulled me out of his pocket. Luca: "You're pretty darn calm, aren't you? I was worried back there, thinking you'd cry out in front of Elias." 'Part 6' His confident grin, though, made me think otherwise. Luca reached his hand to my head, and slowly stroked me from my forehead to my back. Being covered in his large hand was so warm and felt so nice that happiness just bubbled up inside of me. I wanted him to pet me more, so I nearly rubbed my head against his hand, but... (Whoa, what am I thinking? I've got to get him to know that I'm Liz, and fast!) Liz Hart: "Squee! Squee! Squee! (Luca! I'm your buddy! Liz!)" Luca: "Hm? You want to say something?" Liz Hart: "SQEE! (YES!)" (All right! I'm getting through to him!) Luca: "Hmm, so what do you want to say?" To make sure he got my meaning, I employed all the body language I could as I explained. Liz Hart: "Squee! (Luca!)" Luca: "...Me?" Liz Hart: "Squee! (Your buddy!)" Luca: "...You want me to put you down?" Liz Hart: "Squeeeee! (No!)" Luca: "Haha, you mad?" He pulled me up by the armpits and looked at me directly in the eyes. (Eek! His face is right in front of me...) I was face to face, at an awfully close distance, with a classmate I saw in class every day. After realizing this, I felt strangely embarrassed. I tried to look away, but he held my body so tightly all I could do was struggle. (Gah, he's so assertive! Human or Carbuncle, Luca's attitude towards me never changes!) I gave up resisting and took a peek at Luca's face. (...Up close...Luca's eyes...they're green and really pretty.) Since I'd never gotten this close to him as human, I hadn't noticed that. We were close enough to feel each other's breath. (Why does Luca act like this...?) (...Oh wait, that's right. Right now, I'm a Carbuncle.) (Still, I have the feeling that that doesn't matter much to Luca...) ---- Magic Challenge: x10 Magic Key. ---- 'Part 7' Luca: "You know, you're kinda like Liz." (!?) (That's it! That's it, Luca! Notice!) I nodded over and over, but Luca, not looking like he minded much just stood. Luca: "Well then, I think I'll show you the school at night, cute lil' Carbuncle." Before I could voice my surprise, Luca put me on his shoulder. Luca started strolling around the building, as if he were taking an afternoon walk. (I guess Luca really doesn't mind the dark...) ---- Scene: the academy greenhouse. ---- Although it was late, the inside of the greenhouse was warm, and many fireflies illuminated the ground below. Liz Hart: "Squee... (It's beautiful...)" Luca: "When you come to the greenhouse at night, y'see, you can see all sorts of things you can't during afternoon lessons." Luca walked forward as he spoke. And then, suddenly, a glowing flower appeared right in front of me. Liz Hart: "Squee! (Wow!)" (If you can see things this beautiful, then I think I understand a little bit why Luca walks around at night.) Luca: "This flower's called a Sumor Lunam, and it only blooms at night." Luca reached out and, without a hint of hesitation, snapped the stem. Luca: "It's generally used as a dye that'll only glow in reaction to a person's specified magical power, but...this flower's got another fine point to it." "When it's right in front of you, it's pretty bright, but if you're a little far away, you can't see its light at all." Luca put the disembodied flower into his chest pocket, then headed for the greenhouse exit. I turned around. The flower that had been shining so brightly a moment ago had now vanished. (Ooh, so that's why it felt like it suddenly appeared...) Luca: "That's why it's the best light for when you want to sneak around and avoid people's eyes." (...Oh, so that's how he knows. Luca, just let me impressed!) Luca: "Well, I think it's about time." Carried by Luca, I left the greenhouse. It seemed there were more places to go. I had to change back to normal. That hadn't changed. But... (...This is kinda fun.) 'Part 8' ---- Scene: the academy main building hall. ---- (...And I was an idiot for thinking that.) Liz Hart: "SQUEEE!! (If we stay in the school we'll definitely get caught!)" Luca: "Shh, don't shout." He poked the top of my nose. (Well, I shouldn't, but...) Luca: "All right, so, the school at night? Prefects and professors take shifts and patrol around, see?" "They go down the same paths every time, and I know when they switch shifts, so there's no way we're gonna get caught." Luca sounded impossible confident, but there was no way a normal student could know that kind of stuff. (I guess you could say he's used to playing around at night...) I'd gone beyond shock to feeling a kind of impressed with him. Then Luca stopped in front of a door. (I wonder what room this is? It's pretty close to the practice room, but...I've never been inside.) Luca took out his wand and softly touched the doorknob with it. A few magic circles floated up on the door. Luca: "Roremi Ips Dro Si Skylar. Dominus de Roko. Kum Levelentia." Each time Luca chanted a spell, a magical circle disappeared. What Luca was doing was completely incomprehensible to me. All I knew was that he was casting high level magic that I had no hope of pulling off. Luca: "Ateputos est Iri." As he chanted that spell, the last magic circle disappeared. Luca: "And now, shall we step into a place completely unenterable during the day." ---- Scene: A room with arched windows, book shelves and sofas. The academy's teachers office. ---- Liz Hart: "Squee...? (Where are we...?)" The room illuminated by Luca's flower, I could see mildly-colored furniture and a large number of books. And a variety of strangely shaped tools, the use of which I couldn't imagine. Luca: "There are plenty of magic tools kept on school grounds, but many of the ones in this room are particularly dangerous." "Which is why there were so many seals on the door." (Oh, I see...) (Wait a minute! That means we just broke the seals and came in here, right?!) The magical circles that Luca made vanish... (You can't be telling me those were the seals...? Then, that means right now we might just be doing something terrible...) Luca: "Now, from here, we've got to be rreeeaal careful or bad stuff'll happen." Luca gracefully pulled out his wand, and some small spheres of light floated up. Luca: "Quad Absconditum Fui. Ostendite Mihi Indentitas." Following Luca's spell, the spheres of light flew around the room. And then, when they bounced off their respective destinations, as if hitting invisible walls... ...magic circles showed themselves where the balls had rebounded. All sorts of magic circles had appeared, all over the room. All of which were similar to the magic circles on the door. (Are these seals to protect these magic tools, too?) Luca: "Try not to fall off my shoulder, okay? If you touch a magic circle, getting hurt'll be the least of your worries." (The least of my worries...?) (His tone sounds joking, but he's not, right...?) To be absolutely sure I wouldn't fall, I clung tightly to Luca's collar. Luca: "See that medicine shelf over there? It's packing a serious seal." "It's got stuff on it that'll change your memories, manipulate your emotions...some really dangerous stuff." (I never knew there was magical medicine like that...that's pretty scary.) Luca: "If I use one of those, I could make Liz my slave...well, maybe, anyway." Liz Hart: "S-Squee! (Luca, what are you saying?!)" Luca: "Relying on drugs isn't really my style, but maybe just once..." With that, Luca lightly stepped towards the medicine shelf. (W-Wait a second, Luca?!) Luca: "Jussst kiddin'! It's not that I'm completely uninterested in that stuff, but what I'm really after is over here." Avoiding the magic circles, Luca headed towards the back of the room. There were endless magic circles on the shelf Luca was headed for, and in the center of them was a small box. It didn't have any special frills or decorations, but I could tell with a single look it was an incredibly well-made piece of work. Luca: "...Tch, the seal's different again. Dexteri Danje Veritatem." ---- Effect: balls of yellow light. ---- Luca's right hand was covered in magic light. He dipped that hand into the magic circles and moved it around like he was looking for something. Luca: "Now this... is a really tight seal." As I looked, I noticed Luca's right hand seeming to get more and more twisted. (It's kinda...scary.) Liz Hart: "Squee, squee? (Luca, are you okay?)" Luca: "Huh? Aww, you worried about me? Don't worry. I'm just peeking at what's inside this seal is all." "This looks a bit stronger than expected, and breaking it to pieces would take time...hmm." With that murmur, Luca pulled his hand out. 'Part 9' Luca: "Well then, let's be off. It's about time for patrols to start again, you see." With light steps, Luca slipped back to the entrance of the room. Luca: "Come back!" ---- Effect: balls of yellow light. ---- With those words, the spheres of light flew out from the magic circles and back into the top of Luca's wand. The room was once again as silent as it had been when we entered. Luca: "This'll do. Goofing around here was pretty fun today, too." (Fun...?! I was so anxious I thought my heart would burst!) ---- Scene: in front of the girls' dormitory. ---- Luca: "All right, I this is the last place, I guess." (Wait...this is the girls' dorm!) (No way...Luca, are you going to sneak in?!) (Not even you would do that, right? Right?) Suddenly, Luca grabbed my back and turned me around. There, I came face to face with his wand. ---- Effect: balls of yellow light. ---- Luca: "Fumanum Dissipator." Light covered my body, and right after, a cloud of smoke rose up, making me close my eyes in surprise. ---- Scene: blank black background. ---- Luca: "So, how was our night date? Pretty thrilling, huh?" His voice was really close. ---- Scene: back to the front of the dormitory. ---- Liz Hart: "L-L-L-L-L-Luca?!" I opened my eyes, and Luca's face was right in front of me. I tried to twist away and moved back, but his hands were around my hips, preventing me from moving. Luca: "What're you getting all surprised about?" Liz Hart: "Well, your face just suddenly came up close, and... Wait, I can talk?!" I looked down to see that I didn't have a tail, or fur, or paws, just my regular body. (It wasn't Luca that came closer to me, it was me who turned back to normal...) Liz Hart: "Luca, you turned me back?!" Luca: "Yeah, pretty much." Liz Hart: "You noticed I was the Carbuncle? When?" Luca: "Ah, about that. Well, first of all, Carbuncles hardly ever let humans touch the jewel in their foreheads." "So when I first pet your head and you were fine with it, I had my suspicions. Like, maybe someone shapeshifted into this Carbuncle, y'know?" "And from then, just looking at the way you acted, I figured you'd probably messed up a spell again." 'Part 10' (Gah, he saw right through me...) Liz Hart: "But if you figured it out so fast, you should've just turned me back to normal right then!" Luca: "If I did that, you wouldn't have walked around the school at night with me, would you?" (Well...True, I think I would have stopped him.) Luca: "And keeping you as a Carbuncle was a bit more convenient, too." Liz Hart: "Convenient...Luca, are you always doing dangerous things like this?" Luca: "Well, it depends on my mood that day. But today I was with you, so it was a lot of fun." "Well, it's about time for me to go." "You should head back to the dorm before someone finds you." Liz Hart: "W-Wait, Luca! Thanks...for helping me." Luca: "Let's just say you own me one, yeah?" (I kind of shudder to think jus what I'd owe him...) Luca: "Well, see you tomorrow." Liz Hart: "Yeah...see you tomorrow. ...Wait, Luca, you need to get back to your dorm, too!" Luca: "Now, what to do, what to do..." Luca pulled the Sumor Lunam out of his chest pocket and put it in my hair. Then, stroking my cheek with the back of his finger, he disappeared into the darkness. (Just where's Luca going to go now...?) The image of Luca's room flashed through my mind. (Is there anywhere Luca can be at easy in this school?) I didn't really know what he was thinking. (Spending his time alone like that...I get the feeling he's...really lonely.) (I was really on edge tonight, but...it a little...really, just a little...fun. I think.) (There's not much I can do, but...) (If he thinks that being with me is fun, then... I want to be by Luca's side, just a little more...) I thought that from the bottom of my heart. ---- The end. ----